GDPR: Get ready for 25 May! (Jan 2018)

In their article Get ready for 25 May! about how the new GDPR regulations will affect PTAs, PTA+ feature Classlist as the solution. Read it here:

The Classlist Solution

Relying on spreadsheets or asking your school office to forward PTA messages aren’t ideal solutions when it comes to navigating the data protection minefield.

That’s where a specialist communication tool such as Classlist fits in. Classlist is a free app that has been specifically designed to give PTAs a quick and legal way of creating a parent database, where parents themselves upload and share their own data.

Classlist has worked with top lawyers to develop a neat and practical solution that actually takes advantage of some of the new GDPR provisions. Using Classlist means you can ask youschool, entirely lawfully, to help you validate and update information. The app enables the PTA to build a secure online parent community where parents themselves choose what contact details to share. You can create and manage events, send and monitor announcements and put items up for sale. Once your PTA sets up a Classlist account, invite those parents you are already in contact with by email – they can also join directly through the website. Those who don’t wish to join will continue to receive PTA communications through Classlist’s email system, which is entirely compliant with the new legislation. The system is far more secure than spreadsheets or social media and solves the problem of class reps using different methods to reach different parents, or having to wait for the school office to send important messages out.

Best of all, Classlist is entirely free – indeed, it’s funded by local advertising, and PTAs who find local sponsors keep half of the revenue, so it could even generate an income too!

From the school’s perspective this solves numerous headaches – it frees up time from the school office, and they can be confident that parent data is managed by the PTA in a secure, private and legally compliant manner. The school can also help by providing you with checklists of parents and parent emails to help validate new joiners, and help you update class lists at the end of term or school year. One of the added benefits of Classlist is that it includes the ability to send messages to groups,making it easy to let parents of Year 6 children know about an end-of-year party, or set up a group to manage summer fair volunteers. As parents manage their own Classlist account, they can opt into different groups or message preferences, meaning the PTA doesn’t need to worry about this.

Setting up Classlist is straightforward. You alert parents a couple of weeks in advance through your website or newsletter, then issue invitations. Having your Headteacher publicise the rollout really helps bring parents on board quickly. Classlist provides all the draft letters and notices you need to launch whilst complying with the new GDPR regulations. For more information and to sign up, visit classlist.com

Note: This article was originally published in the PTA+ magazine. Read the full article here.